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Ex-Tweeters Are Moving to Twitter Alternative Mastodon: How to Sign Up

The social network Mastodon has become a new home for Twitter refugees. Here’s how to get started.

As Elon Musk drama continues to roil Twitter, a number of users are leaving the site for good. According to The Guardian, market research firm Insider Intelligence predicts that Twitter will lose more than 30 million users over the next two years.

Many of those people opting out of Twitter are pivoting to the decentralized social network Mastodon. One of the biggest obstacles for would-be Mastodon users, however, is its confusing registration system. But once you get past the initial learning curve, the sign-up process isn’t more difficult than starting a new email account.

Here’s the step-by-step process for creating a Mastodon account and getting started on the growing social network. For more about social media, here’s how to download your Twitter archive.

How do I join Mastodon?

Unlike Twitter, Mastodon is not a single website: It’s a decentralized network made up of thousands of websites talking to each other. To start posting on Mastodon (which until quite recently was called «tooting«) and following other people, you’ll need to create an account on a specific Mastodon server or «instance.»

To start following people and posting messages on the Mastodon social service, you begin by joining one specific instance. Each server (if open for registration) has its own sign-up process, but the majority only require a username, email address and password.

Once you’ve joined a Mastodon instance, however, you’re not limited to just following people and posts on that server. You can follow, favorite, reblog or reply to any Mastodon account that’s connected to the larger Fediverse.

How do I decide which Mastodon server to join?

The Mastodon organization provides a partial list of servers — about 100 — on its joinmastodon.org site. You can filter the servers by geographic region, language, topic registration process and whether or not they’re hosted by individuals or organizations. All servers on the official Mastodon site have agreed to follow the best practices of the Mastodon Server Covenant.

If you’re just testing Mastodon out, you might consider one of the official server instances run by the Mastodon organization. While the first and biggest — mastodon.social — has temporarily paused registration, a newer mastodon.online server is still open and picking up the slack.

If you want a bigger list of Mastodon servers to review, your best bet right now is instances.social, which offers a sortable list of about 4,000 Mastodon servers, as well as a wizard-style app that helps you choose a server that fits your requirements.

The site provides useful data about each Mastodon instance, including number of users, number of «statuses» (posts), server uptime percentage and which versions of the Mastodon software it is running. It also lets you filter servers by language; minimum/maximum number of users; and prohibited/allowed content such as nudity, pornography, advertisements or entertainment spoilers. You can also click any instance name — fosstodon.org, for example, a server devoted to open-source software — to read a brief description of the community.

Once you’re actually on a Mastodon site, you can learn about the instance from its «about» page, browse community users on its «explore» page or view recent posts on its «public» page.

You should read the server rules for each Mastodon instance to make sure it’s a good fit, but don’t worry too much about which server you join. You can follow users on other servers and join and leave as many Mastodon servers as you’d like. If you do move around, Mastodon allows you to migrate all of your followers and lists with you.

How do I register on a Mastodon server?

Each Mastodon instance will have its own sign-up process, but the vast majority are the same. You provide a username, email address and password, check the box agreeing to the terms of service and server rules, and click «Sign Up.»

You’ll then see a notification asking you to check your email for a verification message. Click the «Verify email address» in that email message, and you’re done. You can now start posting on your Mastodon server and follow anyone in the Fediverse.

Because of the increased traffic to Mastodon servers since Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, some of those registration emails are taking a long time to show up or never arriving at all.

When I registered for the mas.to server last week, I got a confirmation email in about 15 minutes. I’m still waiting for a verification email from sfba.social for a registration attempt three days ago. Be patient, and try a new server if you can’t complete the registration for another.

After you verify your email address, your Mastodon account should be up and running. You can start posting or following people, though it will take a while to build up your feed. Web tools like Debirdify and FediFinder can jump-start the process by helping you find your Twitter contacts on Mastodon.

While most Mastodon servers offer the quick registration process described above, other, more private instances will ask that you apply for an invitation to the instance, which requires a manual review and longer registration time.

If you do decide to register on a Mastodon server and make it through the process, come visit me @peterbutler@mas.to to say hi.

For more, learn how social media could be hurting your mental health.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, May 11

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 11.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

3-Down on today’s NYT Mini Crossword stuck out as odd to me. «Either way you look at it?» Ahhh, now I get it: The word is spelled the same forwards and backwards. It’s a palindrome. Not sure if that will help you solve it, but there you are. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Piece of bacon
Answer: STRIP

6A clue: Renter’s contract
Answer: LEASE

7A clue: Country whose national bird is the peacock
Answer: INDIA

8A clue: Layers of paint
Answer: COATS

9A clue: Make a mistake
Answer: ERR

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Piece of toast
Answer: SLICE

2D clue: Kind of saxophone played by Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane
Answer: TENOR

3D clue: Weather forecast tool, either way you look at it
Answer: RADAR

4D clue: «___ just me …?»
Answer: ISIT

5D clue: Pod group
Answer: PEAS

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 11, #230

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 230, for May 11.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

I recognized a distinctive three-word title in today’s Connections: Sports Edition, and was off to the races, so to speak. You might find that same phrase, which will help you solve the blue group. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Just part of your competition.

Green group hint: Go, team!

Blue group hint: Streaming movies.

Purple group hint:  Smash it!

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Portion of a race.

Green group: Cheer.

Blue group: Netflix sports documentaries.

Purple group: ____ hitter.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is portion of a race. The four answers are lap, leg, segment and stage.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is cheer. The four answers are applaud, clap, root and salute.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Netflix sports documentaries. The four answers are Cheer, Drive to Survive, Quarterback and Drive to Survive.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ hitter. The four answers are cleanup, designated, power and slap.

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Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for May 11, #1422

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,422 for May 11.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

I have a feeling today’s Wordle puzzle could be tricky. The solution isn’t a word that would immediately come to mind, unless you’re a woodworker. 

If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter D.

Wordle hint No. 4: Rhyme time

Today’s Wordle answer rhymes with a word for something you might take to the beach.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a peg of wood that holds things together.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is DOWEL.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, May 10, No. 1421 was YEAST.

Recent Wordle answers

May 6, No. 1417: SUITE
May 7, No. 1418: MACHO
May 8, No. 1419: BALMY
May 9, No. 1420: TRIPE

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